Hime Hajime
by IronicNarwhal
Summary: One of the most important things in Japanese society is starting the New Year on a good note. Takano thinks this certainly counts.


**Notes**: So, I wrote the beginning of this on vacation, while bored in a car with my family. So I have literally no idea how quality this will be, but I give you this: My first M-rated SIH fic. This coming with the news that the show will have a second season, although I'm quite sure you all know that by now. Uhm…when the series starts up again, I'll be putting out weekly vlog reviews on my blog, if anyone is interested. I'm doing the same at the moment with No. 6, Uta no Prince-Sama, and Tiger & Bunny, if you like any of those animes as well.

**Pairing**: Takano/Ritsu

**Warnings**: Yaoi, lemon, swearing

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi. Takano, Ritsu, and all other characters and concepts are the property of Shungiku Nakamura and her associates. The only thing that I, Katlynn888, own is the story below as it is written.

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><p><strong>Hime Hajime<strong>

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><p>To be honest, Ritsu isn't exactly sure why he let Takano into his apartment in the first place. Maybe it was the six-pack and accompanying bottle of sake ("For toasts," he explained) that the man held out upon Ritsu's opening of the door. Maybe it was the fact that his boss's smooth, baritone voice wishing him a happy New Year was what reminded him that it was, in fact, December 31st, and no one likes to spend New Year's alone.<p>

Then again, maybe it's something else entirely. As it is, Ritsu can't quite remember. All he knows is he now has Takano Masamune in his apartment, sitting on the floor in front of the television because after Ritsu's second beer, he'd fallen on the floor and refused to get up. So rather than maneuver him back onto the couch, Takano chose to sit on the floor _with_ Ritsu. Ritsu isn't sure whether to be thankful for the lack of manhandling, or scorn Takano's flawed logic.

He figures it's okay. The floors are heated.

"Mmm," Ritsu grumbles. He's only had three beers, so he's nowhere near smashed, but he's grown lethargic with his alcohol consumption, and the simple effort of turning his head to look at Takano seems unbearable. But he does it, and takes in Takano's similarly slack state. He's leaning back against the couch, half-full beer bottle in hand with his legs out in front of him, ankles crossed. One sock is slipping off, and the lowest button of his shirt is undone. It reveals the dark trail above his waistband. Ritsu stares long and hard at that patch of jet-black hair. "How much longer until midnight?"

Takano, whose head had been lolling, looks up and squints at the television. Ritsu's eyes move to the man's face after his extensive examination of the man's umbilicus hair, and he wonders why he's squinting when he's farsighted. The television is ten feet away. Maybe it's the drink, and Ritsu needs to stop reading into the situation or this pleasant buzz will be ruined by a nausea-inducing stress headache.

"It's…Twenty-three-forty-five…," Takano says slowly and at length. "So…fifteen minutes."

"Hmm." Ritsu shifts slightly, so his weight is more on one side of his bum than the other, and slumps over the table. Glancing over at Takano, he realizes he must have the last beer. "Hmm. Takano-san?"

Takano glances over, and Ritsu pulls what he thinks is a persuasive face—in all actuality, it's little more than a pout. "Can I have a sip of your beer?"

Glancing down as if he forgot it was there, Takano grabs the bottle from where he laid it next to his hip and nods. Then glances at the space between them—to far to reach. "Come here."

"No, you come here." Ritsu gives him a sight, baleful glare from under his fringe. "If I come over there, you're just going to do something funny. Like pull me into your lap. And I just want a sip of your beer—not to be molested, thank you very much." He tries to ignore the fact that his body cries fowl play. But that's just because he can't get Christmas Eve's long, hearty round of reverse-missionary out of his head…

"You're the one who wants my beer," mumbles Takano. "I don't _have_ to give it to you. And what makes you think that I won't just come over there and do it anyway? I'm perfectly capable."

Try as he might, Ritsu can't come up with a reasonable argument. In the end, he only satisfies himself by grumbling, "Fuck you…" to the other man before wobbling onto his hands and knees, crawling over to Takano and rearing up on his knees. He crosses his arms for a second, almost waiting for something. Holding his breath.

When Takano doesn't move, Ritsu grudgingly flops into his lap. Takano looks surprised, but doesn't make a big deal out of it. Simply rearranges his subordinate into a more comfortable position for them both. Wraps one arm around Ritsu's chest, and the other rests behind himself, on the sofa. Ritsu picks up the bottle by the neck and tips it, suckling a few sips from it. It's more empty than he thought, and Takano takes it from him before he can drink it all. Ritsu slumps, but Takano rests his head on the younger editor's and squeezes Onodera around the waist. He hasn't been this content on New Year's in a long time.

"Mmm. Takano-san." Ritsu isn't fighting against this, which is why it's blissfully lacking in awkwardness. He slowly reaches up and runs the tips of his fingers over Takano's knuckles. He's thinking about something. "Now much time left?"

"Two minutes less than the last time you asked me," Takano drawls. At this rate, neither of them are going to be awake at midnight. And Ritsu's so warm and small and soft-but-solid in his arms. Ritsu, who's nestled between Takano's legs, rests his heals on Takano's toes.

"Don't be rude." Onodera's voice doesn't have the usual bite to it.

"Are you thinking about something?" Takano asks. He takes a swig of beer, and then lets Ritsu have it. While Ritsu is drinking, he grabs onto the younger's belt loops and yanks him back, so he doesn't have to lean against Takano at odd, forty-degree angle that ends up with Ritsu's head being in his chest region. This way, he can nestle his head on Ritsu's shoulder. Again, he's surprised when Ritsu only voices his protest mildly, and more because he doesn't want the beer spilt.

"No," Ritsu says when the bottle is empty. "Just…er…nothing much. Kind of…wondering why you're here."

"Hmm." Takano brushes his lips against Ritsu's neck, just barely. Ritsu twitches ever-so-slightly. "Neither of us are doing anything tonight. I figured why not? It's New Year's. New Year's alone is absolutely miserable."

"Mmm." Ritsu is quiet for a long moment, and his head lolls onto Takano's shoulder. "I just…wonder sometimes." Ritsu sighs, as if he wants to say something but does not have the facilities to do so at the moment. "Why I'm so important when I was so inconsequential back in high school." He's tipsy, and he's saying things he doesn't mean. But they do have truth for him, and these are things he wonders.

Takano's eyes widen. "Who ever said you were inconsequential?"

"Well, I mean…it always seemed like…you could do without me. When I was following you around like a lost puppy, always needing to be near to you when we were together or else I'd feel lonely…you were just…casually…_there_. Like it didn't really matter to you one way or the other."

A low grumbled rises in Takano's throat and he mutters, "How many times do I have to tell you this? I was a jackass kid when we were in high school. I never knew how to express my feelings in words, and when I tried it just came out as insensitive. So rather than make you upset, I stayed quiet."

"That worked well."

"Shut up, would you? That misunderstanding was part your fault was well; you and your diminished sense of self-worth. If you had _any_ confidence in yourself back then, you would have stopped and thought about it, and realized that you weren't the kind of person that would let yourself be used for sex. You _knew_ what my feelings were. You wouldn't have let the break-up mess you up so bad if you hadn't."

"You're…you just…can you never take responsibility for _anything_?" Ritsu grumbles. He props himself up, using Takano's thighs. Takano winces—All of Ritsu's weight bearing down on his legs via Ritsu's bony palms isn't fun—but doesn't comment, and is especially glad he didn't when it turns out that Ritsu was maneuvering himself back, into a more comfortable position nestled snugly between Takano's legs. The older editor can feel his subordinate's bum pressed against his zipper.

"Mmm…No."

"I can't stand you." Ritsu's words are oxymoronic to his actions; he lolls his head back onto Takano's shoulder and crosses his arms, thinking again. It's been more than a year since this whole, crazy relationship thing has started. To a certain extent, nothing has changed. And yet, at the same time, everything has.

He can no longer deny his feelings for Takano, least of all to himself. That scares him. And day in and day out, all he can think about is when it'll end. When his heart will be broken again. He wonders when he'll be left alone once more, to live out his life with no more to remember his first love by than a notch in his bedpost and one more crack in his soul.

"You don't mean that, do you." It's not a question, and Takano's voice is as calm as ever, but there's a smile there. Deep within.

"…No." Ritsu sighs, angry with himself, and crosses his ankles like Takano had his before Ritsu plopped so unceremoniously atop him. He takes a moment to examine their differences. Takano's socks are black, his own are white. Takano is wearing black jeans, and Ritsu is wearing slacks. Ritsu's feet are small and fine-boned, which is obvious through his thin, clinging socks. Takano's are larger, but equally as fine-boned. His second toe is longer than his big toe by a long shot. It's always bothered Ritsu. Then again, Ritsu doesn't like feet very much in the first place.

He wears socks to bed. Takano doesn't.

"We're very different," Ritsu deduces.

"…And we've also had this conversation before."

"No, this isn't the 'We're so different, why are we trying' conversation. This is the…How do we work, we're so different conversation."

"You think we work?" Takano murmurs. It's not said in a disagreeing or incredulous tone. It's said with vague agreement and a note of _finally, he realizes this_.

"…To a certain extent," murmurs Ritsu. "We work much better than we did in high school. At least we can function with each other. Back then…all we did was read and have sex…" He blushes, and he feels more than hears Takano's deep chuckle.

"The sex was good, though." A kiss to Ritsu's neck, and his whole face is suddenly red. "Even then, it was good. It's much better now."

"Don't say things like that," Ritsu mutters with a slap to Takano's knee. "They're embarrassing."

"You're embarrassed by talking about sex with the man you lost your virginity to?" Now Takano _is_ incredulous, and Ritsu leans away to finally get a good look at his face. His brows are furrowed and he looks confused, amused, and exasperated all at once.

"Such things shouldn't be talked about with anyone," Ritsu mutters, crossing his arms and staring at the floor. "And for your information, you're the only man I've ever slept with." The fact that this is a big revelation escapes Ritsu. "So it's not as if the sex could have improved _that_ much. It's not like I had practice."

At first, Takano planned on commenting on Ritsu's lack of experience with anyone but himself. But Ritsu's second statement makes him stop in this train of thought, and after a moment he murmurs, "I think that's because…even though I did sleep around in university…I forgot what it was like to sleep with someone who I actually liked…how good having sex with someone you actually love feels. I forgot…what making love was like."

Ritsu's breath catches in his throat. So that's what they do. Make love. There's a difference, and he's always known this…Suddenly, he feels conflicted. On one hand, he's glad Takano said it first so he didn't have to bring it up by himself at some later point. But on the other, he never really wanted to have the subject brought up at all.

"Two minutes left," murmurs Takano. "Hand me the sake. Do we need glasses?"

"No." Ritsu reaches over and grabs it, popping it open and handing it to Takano. There are only thirty seconds left before the countdown begins. As he stares at the clock, he considers very carefully what he wants to say next. He doesn't really know how to convey this feeling bubbling up inside him. But if he doesn't get the words out now, they'll never come. Eventually, he murmurs, "Takano-san?"

"Mmm."

"At midnight…" Ritsu sighs and pokes at Takano's toes with his own. "Will you kiss me?"

He feels Takano smile against the back of his head. "If that's what you want." On television, the countdown starts and they continue to stare at the numbers now flashing on screen. The announcers are giddy, counting along with the countdown. It will trigger an explosion of fireworks when it reaches the bottom. Elsewhere in Japan, thousands of people are standing with white balloons, ready to be released into the dark night sky at the stroke of midnight.

"You gonna count?" Takano chuckles at thirty seconds.

"Am I five?" Ritsu counters, staring longingly at the bottle of sake. "Besides, it's only you and me there."

"_I_ still count, even when I'm alone." The counter is at fifteen seconds, and Ritsu only has five seconds left to decide. In the end he sighs and grudgingly breathes, "Ten…" while Takano chuckles along with him, and the people in either the apartment on the other side, or above crow out loudly. Ritsu fathoms he can almost hear the deafening noise of the entirety of Japan screaming the countdown.

"Nine…" There are more people in the upstairs apartment than he thought, and they join in now. Takano's hands aren't on his hips anymore. Where they are, he does not know.

"Eight…" A dog barks far off, spooked by the noises. Takano's laugh when Ritsu screws up counting and skips from 'nine' right to 'seven' and then corrects himself is kind of like a bark. But sue him, he's tipsy and doesn't really give a damn.

"Seven…" Takano's hands make themselves known on his waist. They're large and warm and Ritsu unfolds his arms and entwines their fingers.

"Six…" The sweetest brush of lips on the side of his neck, right where it meets his shoulder, makes him shiver. Takano murmurs against his skin, Ritsu can't tell what he says, and warmth floods him. He's in a kind of floating state of comfortable and buzzed and aroused and…happy.

"Five…" He's happy. He's the most contented he's ever felt, and he feels safe. He realizes he never wants to have to leave this man's arms, and that he does not know how he would go on living if this man walked out of his life again.

"Four…" For a second, he's scared. He's utterly terrified because he's just gone and done what he promised himself he would never do again.

"Three…" Then, he realizes that this isn't something that happened just now. It's been a process; something that's been built up to for a long time. Only now, when it's all over, does he realize it. He has no choice in the matter now; it's too late to stop it or do anything about it. And if he worries about it, he'll only make himself miserable. The fear leaves him, and a sense of uncertainty takes its place. He's so lost. He doesn't know what to do, and it's overwhelming, and dammit he doesn't want to cry but he just may end up doing it…

"Two…" At 23:59:58 on December 31st, 2011, Onodera Ritsu realizes and accepts the fact that he is in love. Tears of happiness and exhaustion and so many other things gather, and one of them drops upon Takano's wrist.

"One." Takano looks down, concerned, and nudges Ritsu with his nose. "Happy new year. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just…" Ritsu looks up, staring into the middle distance. "Takano-san, this isn't just a fling, right? This stopped being something casual a long time ago. Or am I wrong?"

"This was never anything casual." Takano spits the word like it tastes bad on his tongue and he wants to get it out as fast as possible. "Why are you asking me that of all things right now?"

"I just had to make sure, okay?" Ritsu said. "I had to make sure, so that if the answer was different I'd be able to prepare myself. I'm just telling you now, Takano Masamune. If the same thing happens a second time, there will be no third chance. Got it? I'll go away and I'll just be gone."

Takano's hands pull him closer, and Takano's fingers curve under his chin, pulling him in for a kiss. Ritsu lets his tears fall and grips onto the back of Takano's head, twisting so he can get better leverage for a deeper kiss. Eventually, it becomes apparent that there's really no other choice than for Ritsu to turn around and straddle Takano's lap. Takano doesn't really have access of mobility at the moment pressed against the sofa as he is, and it's just a plain old pain in the neck (Literally) to kiss at such an angle for long periods of time.

Ritsu pulls away for a moment and wills his breathing to calm and his mind to process thought. Takano's dark brown eyes stare into his own and he whispers, "Uhm…did you want to go to a temple or something? I mean, it's pretty cold out, but…" He realizes that he has no idea if Takano is the kind of person to visit a temple on the New Year. Ritsu's own family always had. When he and all of his cousins were much younger, his entire family got all dressed up after the fireworks at midnight and trooped to a near-by temple. Ritsu hasn't done it for years, but he figures he may as well ask.

"Do you?" Takano mumbles. Like Ritsu, he honestly has no idea how religious his counterpart is. It's one of the many things they have to learn about each other. As for Takano, he can't remember the last time he even visited a shrine, let alone got all dressed up and ventured out at midnight for _Hatsum ode._

"I don't know…in the morning, probably. But…" He hesitantly reaches his arms up and around Takano's neck. He gets so close that his eye lashes kiss Takano's cheeks as he flutters them closed. His heart is pounding as if this is their first kiss, even though they'd been making out quite heavily not two minutes ago. "For now, I…"

"Of course." Takano closes the millimeters between them. One of his large hands is cradling the back of Ritsu's head; the other has found its way to his subordinate's bum and pulls him closer. The feeling of Takano's hand pressing so firmly against him is exquisite. Especially because, for once, Ritsu has made the decision to let go and isn't trying to get Takano's hands _off_ him. It's a surreal experience. He hasn't truly been able to enjoy touch—of a sexual variety or otherwise—since he was fifteen.

Takano is the cause but also, somehow simultaneously, the solution. They aren't always mutually exclusive, Ritsu is beginning to realize.

A sudden movement is made, and it either releases pressure or applies it between Ritsu's legs in such a way to send a sensation of _something_ that he can only describe as 'Oh-God-yes-feels-so-good' through him. Whatever it is, it makes him gasp and blush, and his heart pound. All at once, he's desperately aroused.

Takano is kissing down his neck, now, and he latches onto the part that juts out along his jugular when he turns his neck just-so. He bites down here, and Ritsu (Who's so very sensitive in his neck and clavicle area) cannot contain the moan, nor the shaking that goes along with this action.

"T-Takano-san, you're going to l-leave a mark…" He doesn't really care, to be honest. It's just reflex and habit, now. He's had more than enough love bites in the last year for the other editors to have gone from joking jabs at his love life, to serious ponderings on who could be giving him said affectionate marks all the time, to the kind of acceptance that makes such things commonplace and not to be remarked upon or even noticed.

"Good." Takano by now knows just how long he can suckle on Ritsu's tender neck before it crosses the line from pleasure to pain. When he pulls away, Ritsu is a shaking mess. Not so much of a mess, however, that he cannot grab Takano's hand and slide it carefully up under his shirt, to rest over his heart. Takano strokes his nipple as he feels the pitter-patter of Ritsu's racing heart. Feels Ritsu's stomach muscles clench up when he does this.

Then Takano's hand is moving, first across Ritsu's chest to the center of it, and then down over Ritsu's stomach. His subordinate knows were he is going, if the little jump in his breathing is anything to go by, and when Takano presses his hand against the front of Ritsu's pants, the brunette whimpers. He rubs until he can feel a bulge forming, and then has his hands pushed out the way by Ritsu, whom undoes his own button and zipper. Takano can't blame him for his own actions—goodness knows Takano likes to tease him until he goes insane. Unbuttoning his pants this early ensures that Takano won't he able to wrestle with the tantalizing thought of just _taking_ Ritsu, right-here-right-now, for very much longer.

Before he becomes too consumed, he leans in and kisses Ritsu again. Ritsu opens up to him beautifully, and it's almost too easy. Even back when they were in high school, and Ritsu was all too eager for Takano's touch, the other man had to struggle to reach past Ritsu's barriers—both mental and physical. Back then, they were a severely diminished sense of self-worth and aversion to having someone else's tongue inside his mouth, respectively. Nowadays they are a previously-broken heart and a deeply-rooted fear of touch because of the association he has made in his mind between it and heartache.

But there are still traces of it in the way that Ritsu clings to him, as if waiting for him to go. Now that he has him and Takano is so engrained into his life, he feels he must hold on. _Hold on hold on for dear life because now I can't push you away and it would have been safer but I've made my bed and now I must lie in it…_

"Turn the television off," Ritsu whispers against his cheek, half-delirious as Takano showers his neck and collarbone with open-mouthed kisses. Background noise turns Ritsu off. Music he doesn't mind, but if the television is creating a racket or the phone is going off or the walls are too thin and he can hear every cough, chuckle, and word from the next room, his mood is diminished. Knowing this, Takano is quick to obey. He reaches blindly for the remote, feels for the 'power' button, and harshly pushes down. Once the television is off, he tries to maneuver sideways so they can lay down. But his movements are awkward thanks to his proximity to both the coffee table and the sofa, and he ends up half-falling forward. He's on his knees and Ritsu is on his back, and even though this isn't what he planned for, this works too.

Ritsu wraps his legs around Takano's waist, arching his body partially off the ground because even on his knees Takano is just so _tall_. Ritsu feels kind of like a monkey, clinging onto its mother's front. But Takano doesn't seem to mind the extra weight, and if Takano isn't complaining Ritsu isn't going to concern himself.

His counterpart's unzipped pants are practically _beckoning _him, so he reaches down and loops his fingers through Ritsu's belt loops, yanking down. Ritsu helps, somewhat, shimmying his hips as much as he can and unwinding his legs so Takano can better yank the jeans off. They're an old pair and loose—good for lounging around the house. They come off easy and they're thrown to some unseen portion of the apartment. Ritsu knows that in the morning he'll wake up to find his favorite pair of jeans on the dining room table, and rack his brain for how in the _world_ they ended up there. But for the mean time he's too intoxicated and turned on to care.

Instead of rewinding his legs around Takano, Ritsu braces his heels against the sofa, which they are still right in front of. Takano pulled his boxers down with his jeans, so he's naked from the waist down and his shirt is partially open—two buttons on top, three on bottom—and though neither of them are sure when it happened, nor are they complaining. Takano ducks his head and places kisses all along the exposed portions of Ritsu's lower torso, from his navel to the 'V' of his abdomen, all the way down to the insides of his thighs. It's immediately obvious to Ritsu what he's planning to do.

"T-Takano," whimpers Ritsu. Fellatio embarrasses him.

"Do you want me to stop?" mumbles the head editor, glancing up and resting his chin momentarily on Ritsu's hip. The apple of it juts out slightly.

It seems as though Ritsu actually considers his answer before he says, "No…" and tilts his head back, hiding his green eyes from Takano's point of view, and fixating on the ceiling above him. That's something else that Takano has noticed. Ritsu would rather stare at the ceiling (Or, in the case of the bedroom, the ceiling fan on which there may or may not be a shirt hanging, depending on how zealous they'd been in disrobing each other) than make eye contact through most of intercourse. Only when he climaxes does he finally meet Takano's eyes, and it's only long enough to get the barest glimpse of the emotions Ritsu tries so hard to hide.

He's going to change that. Right now, in fact.

"Ritsu," Takano whispers against his subordinate's thigh. "Ritsu, I want you to do something."

"Mmm?" mumbles Ritsu, maybe a little spaced out.

"Look at me," Takano mumbles. Kisses Ritsu's stomach. "Don't look at the ceiling. Watch me while I do this." It always turns him on immensely when Ritsu goes down on him and he watches that dark brown head bobbing up and down between his legs. It's only happened a handful of times, but Takano has never had such intense orgasms.

Ritsu looks unsure, but the drink is making him complacent. He nods hesitantly, blushing slightly, and Takano reaches over to the sofa and plucks two of the four throw pillows off, and tosses them towards Ritsu. Later, he'll put them under Ritsu's hips. For now, he gives them to Ritsu so he doesn't strain himself, holding his head up to look down.

At the first contact of his tongue, Ritsu makes a strangled noise and his thighs try to twitch closed on reflex; kind of like that first time ten years ago, in Takano's dark bedroom. To counteract this reaction, Takano lifts one thigh over his shoulder and holds down the other. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, Ritsu writhes.

Takano begins to bob his head, up and down. Ritsu is biting his lip hard, and Takano worries that he's going to make it bleed. Taking Ritsu as deep into his mouth as possible, he purses his lips and takes a long, harsh pull, curling his tongue. Ritsu lets go of his lower lip in favor of throwing his head back and crying out loudly, and even when he looks back down his teeth do not go back to his lip. His eyes are wide and he's panting, letting out desperate little noises ("Hah, ahn…Ah, ah!") every few breaths.

"T-Takano-san," whimpers Ritsu. He tosses his head to the side and Takano can feel his stomach muscles tightening, preparing himself for climax. "I…I'm going to c-come…"

All Takano does is ignore him and continue his ministrations. Ritsu gasps loudly, taking in so much air at one time that he releases it with a huff of, "Uhn!" Then the gasps start, as well as the, "Oh my God!"s and, "I'm coming!"s.

Ritsu is so predictable in bed. But it doesn't make things boring; on the contrary, each encounter is an experience to be cherished, and the predictability is not monotonous; rather, it's familiar and comfortable. He's glad to be done with those days where he fucked a different person every weekend, even though he didn't trust them enough to show themselves out of his apartment when their rendezvous was over. When he makes love to Ritsu, he feels the deeper connection between them become almost tangible.

It's at this point he realizes that he's been in the shojo manga business way too long.

Ritsu's release comes as no surprise, because he's been making that impending-orgasm noise he makes for about thirty seconds now. His body gives five long shudders, starting in his stomach and ending in his toes, which curl into Takano's back so hard that the nails leave marks. "Ah! Oh! Oh…oh…"

He's left panting, and finally lets his head rest back. Takano sits up, grabs the sake, and washes the bitter taste out of his mouth. Then, after setting the bottle down, he leans over Ritsu, caging him in with his arms, and kisses him. Ritsu's hands run through his hair.

"You okay?" Takano mumbles.

"Mhmm," Ritsu utters, eyes still closed. Aftershocks are still making his stomach twinge deliciously. He breathes in deeply, then opens them. Takano can see the satisfaction in his eyes. "You can…you know…if you want…"

Takano smiles. That's Ritsu-speak for 'I want you inside me', and both of them know this. Takano guesses he should be glad Ritsu says anything, because usually around this point, Ritsu just grudgingly spreads his legs and tries to pretend that he's not enjoying himself through half-hearted and transparent protests.

Instead of immediately ceasing all foreplay, Takano leans down and licks Ritsu's nipple, making Ritsu's post-orgasm, oversensitive-all-over body shudder. Maybe a little too sensitive. So Takano moves up again and he and Ritsu engage in a long series of kisses, which leaves them both dizzy when it's over.

"Come with me," Takano murmurs, pulling away and standing up. Ritsu stares up at him, and blearily sits up. He realizes Ritsu's probably too disoriented to stand right now. He's rather more drunk than Takano, and he's just had an orgasm, which always makes him floppy. So he leans down, loops one arm under his knees and the other under his shoulders, and lifts him up. Ritsu places his face against his neck and sighs, then kisses him and nuzzles his nose into him.

"You really are drunk," Takano chuckles. Ritsu makes a vague sound of disagreement against his neck. He gives another one of his barking laughs and, once they reach the bedroom, Takano places him down on the bed, then goes off to the windows, and opens them. One thing that Takano liked about this apartment when he bought it was the large windows that overlooked Tokyo in the bedroom. From this vantage point, they can just barely see the fireworks over the trees. They'll last for another half hour, easy.

"Did you just open the window?" mutters Ritsu, frowning. "We're not that high up…people could see us if they looked from the building across the street…"

"No they can't. The room is too dark for that." It's the only way he can think of to defend this situation, and no matter what Ritsu says he's not closing the curtains. He's always had a bit of a fantasy like this, ever since a time in college when he was drunk off his rocker and found himself fucking some random guy from a bar into the mattress in his off-campus apartment. The fireworks for New Year's had been going off outside and the glow of them had been glinting off the hair of the man he was with, and for a second he was seventeen again and the man on his bed was Ritsu, and he closed his eyes and groaned his former kouhai's name upon climax.

That resulted in a slap and an angered hiss off, "My name's _not_ Ritsu." But he hadn't really cared.

Now he has Ritsu, the real thing on his bed at the very beginning of New Year's with the fireworks still going on, and he's going to deny himself no longer.

"If you say so…"

"I do." Takano drifts back over to the bed, shucking off his shirt as he goes and unbuttoning his pants. In the drawer, he locates a tube of lubricant and places it within reaching distance on the bed. Ritsu draws his legs up, knees pointing towards the ceiling, and parts his legs to accommodate Takano's girth between his thighs.

"This is good?" Takano whispers, getting right back into it and burying his face in Ritsu's neck once more, steadily working on the second love-bite of the night. Ritsu claws at his back and whimpers out agreement. Lucky for him, Ritsu bites his nails and all that scrapes his back are his subordinate's exposed nail beds.

Ritsu has a weakness for reverse-missionary. But he's too discombobulated for that tonight.

While he's still sucking and licking at Ritsu's neck, reducing the man beneath him to a quivering mass, he grabs the lubricant from where it's rolled down the indent Ritsu's body creates to rest next to his head. Ritsu never even noticed it, however, and is confused until Takano's hand comes away from the side of his head with the tube in hand.

He pours some onto his fingers and plays with it a bit, rubbing it between his fingers until it warms up. Then he slides one finger up to the knuckle and curls it up, searching for the bundle of nerves that he knows is there. He knows he's reached it when Ritsu thrusts his hips upwards and the warm passage around Takano's finger tightens for a few seconds.

"Oh…" Ritsu squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his hands in the sheets, whimpering. "That…that feels good…"

Takano chuckles.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sound like a dog when you laugh?" mutters Ritsu. His face is somehow a mixture of baleful and curious, and it makes Takano all-out laugh and lean down to kiss his subordinate as he adds a second finger and begins to carefully, gently stretch them apart. It amazes him how in love he is with this man. How one odd comment or look from him can make Takano drop this coldhearted, tyrannical façade he built up for ten years in response to _losing_ the same person. His own family would probably be amazed by the change in character he undergoes when in the presence of Ritsu; he knows his other subordinates are. Kisa's mentioned several times (Not to Takano, of course, but no one says anything in that office that Takano isn't aware of) how uncanny he thinks the whole thing is.

And somehow, Ritsu still doesn't realize the amount of influence he has over Takano.

"Nnng…" Ritsu lifts a leg, and Takano takes hold of it halfway up, and lifts it onto his shoulder. The other leg hooks around Takano's hip.

Just as Ritsu turns his head back and slits his eyes open again, to glance into Takano's eyes and let him know he's ready for another finger, a green firework explodes outside. It makes Ritsu's already bright emerald beauties into something almost inhumanly gorgeous. His still untouched lower half aches, his length twitches, and suddenly he _needs_ to be joined with Ritsu.

He returns to Ritsu's neck, laving every part he can with his tongue and nipping at an earlobe and whispering, "I need you, I can't…I'll be careful but I…"

"It's fine, it's fine," Ritsu breathes, burying his feet under Takano's waistband and pushing his jeans down. He's gotten good at this maneuver. "Just do it…"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, please." He doesn't think he's ever heard Ritsu beg. It really isn't like him, and it proves just how slack his grip on his inhibitions has become. He decides this is a good thing, as Ritsu reaches down with a suddenly-lubricated hand (He's not sure when this happened, but he's not complaining) and wraps it around Takano's heavy length, stroking three times and thoroughly covering it. Then his hand is back on the sheets, messing them up without a care so he can wipe the access lube off and rebury his hands in Takano's dark hair.

Takano's face is still against his neck, and Ritsu's fingers are still carding through his hair. He approximates the location of Ritsu's entrance and slides in, with minor help from Ritsu shifting along the blankets. The sensory overload is exquisite. It's the reason Ritsu arches his entire body and makes a desperate, raw noise; a sound only the utterly ravished can hope to produce. It's the reason Takano loses all control over his own words and starts telling Ritsu how tight he is and how good he feels.

"That's really lewd-!" Ritsu starts, but doesn't finish his sentence as his prostate is touched and all he can think about is a comparison between the white sparking behind his eyelids and the fireworks outside, and the white-hot pleasure erupting in his stomach, and how wonderfully full he feels. "T-Takano! Hnn—Oh! Oh God!"

"Good?" Ritsu's bad 'Oh Gods' and Ritsu's good 'Oh Gods' are sometimes way too similar for even Takano to tell the difference.

"Nnng, yeah! Yeah, yeah, oh yes…yeah…" And Ritsu just repeats that, over and over again. In response, Takano hums, "Mhmm…" into his neck and rocks into him deeply.

There are prickles on the small of his back. It's the first sign that his climax is approaching. He swallows deeply, and opens his mouth to pant, which is how he holds off orgasm. Takano knows this, and speeds up his thrusts because he can't have Ritsu trying to hold off his orgasm on his account. But he's not going to hold off for much longer either. He can feel his balls drawing up closer to his body and his cock becoming even fuller.

Ritsu turns his head into Takano's, and brushes his lips against Takano's temple, over and over. His eyes opened for a moment, he stares at the fireworks still going on outside. Sees one of those tacky pink heart ones lighting up the night sky, and can't help the warmth that explodes in his chest. "T-Takano-san…I…"

"I know," Takano mutters.

"N-no, that's not…Oh!...I mean, I…" It's hard to think when his whole body is being jerked around by the ferocity with which this man's length is slamming into him, and the headboard is pounding against the wall so loud that it's a wonder no one's shouting from the next apartment. But his body is hot and prickly with the most intense form of arousal, and this heavy-but-light feeling in his heart and if he doesn't get this off his chest, he feels he may implode. "I need you to know…" he doesn't even know where he _is_ anymore. All he knows is Takano inside of him and Takano outside of him, and his lips which are vaguely around Takano's ear because he can feel his hairline every time his mouth moves.

"Yeah?" Takano pants. "Say it quick."

"I'm…Oh, God…I love you…" And then it's as if a dam has broken and he can't _stop_. He wraps his whole arm around Takano's head, pushing the soft hair and the tan skin against his neck and just wanting it to _stay there_ forever. "I love you, I love you, oh _fuck_ I love you. Please, please…!" He's not sure what he's begging for. Release or for his love to be returned or for Takano to just _hold_ him and never let go, never leave and never _let_ him leave like the idiot he was in high school.

Whatever he's begging for, Takano will offer it and more. "R-Ritsu…" Ritsu's making little, desperate noises by now; not his normal noises but something new and animalistic and raw and _so goddamned beautiful_. It only takes him a few seconds to realize it's because Ritsu's going to come and trying not to cry while doing it.

"Don't cry, baby, don't cry…" He's never been much one for nicknames or endearments but it just feels wrong _not_ to use one right now. "I love you too, you know that right?"

"Yessss," Ritsu breathes, in response to so many things. "I'm…I'm…"

"Okay…go ahead…"

Ritsu makes a few more noises, before finally arching back and crying out in relief as he spills between them, catching both of their stomachs and his own chest, and increasing the size of the wet spot on the sheets. Then, a thrust or two later, Takano stills and Ritsu feels the length within him pulse and spill warmth into his body, until he feels almost too full.

All is still for a few minutes. Outside, the fireworks are reaching their explosive finale. The sound is deafening, and neither of them speak or even move an inch until they're over. Then Ritsu breaks the stillness by moving his legs back onto the mattress. He groans at the pleasurable ache in his muscles, which he knows won't be so pleasurable in the morning, but for right now they're almost as pleasant as the aftershocks. Then Takano pulls out, and he feels empty in a way. Immediately, seed trickles between his thighs. Takano came a lot.

He shudders at his own lewd thoughts.

They're very silent. A huge milestone in their relationship, as well as some of the best sex they've ever had (Easily within the top five, Takano thinks to himself with an indulgent smirk. It almost worries him how he's starting to forget any encounters he ever had with anyone else.) has just passed, and neither of them really knows how to react. Then Takano shifts and pulls Ritsu atop himself. Smiles and grips his lover's hips. "…Wow."

"Wow," Ritsu agrees. He chuckles a bit. He's kind of care-free right now. It's a new feeling for him. It feels good. "I'm…going to hurt all over in the morning."

"Good thing it's a holiday then, huh?" A kiss to the jaw.

Ritsu sighs, satisfied and exhausted, and rests his head on Takano's chest. Takano rests his chin over his subordinate's mop of brown, and rolls them onto their sides. Their legs entwine. Ritsu's hip is half-in the wet spot, but he can't bring himself to care.

They breathe in and out together for a few minutes. Then Ritsu whispers, "I'm in love with you. I've only just realized it. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I just…" Another deep breath. "Didn't want to admit it."

"I've known. I've known for a while now."

"Well then." He sighs against Takano's chest, and shivers which makes Takano pull the blankets up. "This won't change things, will it?" As much as he hates to admit it, he likes their current relationship dynamics. The teasing games they play with each other. They've helped them actually _communicate_, as oppose to when they were in high school and their communication was severely lacking.

"I don't see how it will. As I said, I've known for a long time."

Ritsu groans. "You've always gotta be so _smart_ about everything, don't you?"

"Yup." Their eyes close, suddenly too tired to keep them open. Ritsu's quiet. "You okay?"

"I'm about to fall asleep." Ritsu nuzzles against his chest.

"Okay. Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight." Ritsu shifts around, onto his other side so Takano is spooning him from behind. He wraps his arm over Takano's and entwines their hands. It takes Takano a few seconds to figure out what to do with his other arm, but eventually he works it under Ritsu's head, and they're comfortable. Ritsu, before he goes to sleep, mumbles, "Hmm…set the alarm for, uhm…six…I want to go to see the sunrise in he morning."

Takano reaches blindly around for the alarm clock and drags it over, staring at it blearily and having to hold it at arm's length to see it without his glasses. He sets it for six-thirty (The sun won't rise until seven-thirty, he tells himself) and sets it back on the nightstand. Ritsu sighs and his body grows heavier, and Takano knows he's fallen asleep.

Internally, Takano smiles. He could get used to this.

One of the most important things to Japanese society is starting the New Year on a good note. He thinks this certainly counts.

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><p><strong>End Story; thank you for reading.<strong>

* * *

><p>AN: Hmm. Not sure if I like my characterization of Ritsu in this one…he seems terribly OOC to me. But this fic has officially turned into my baby, so no way am I not posting it…

Fuck, I'm so tired. |D It's like midnight and I've stayed up until one in the morning the last few days typing this monster out. I'm just gonna go ahead and post this unbetaed. If you notice something terribly wrong, please point it out to me. It'll really help when I beta tomorrow.

Thank you for reading, once again~

-Lynn


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